San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer is the most likely candidate to replace head coach Gregg Popovich should Pop ever decide it’s time to retire. There’s no telling when that will be, so for now, Coach Bud is Pop’s top assistant.
Budenholzer has been on Popovich’s staff for 16 years, making him a very sought-after candidate for head coaching positions around the league. Lately, he has seemed more open to the possibility of taking one of those positions.
He recently interviewed with the Detroit Pistons and is being considered a candidate for the job. The Pistons are trying to find a replacement for Lawrence Frank, who was fired after this season.
There has been no indication from either party yet as to whether or not this will lead to Coach Bud taking the job. The Pistons have also interviewed former head coach Nate McMillan and a few other potential candidates.
If I were Budenholzer, I’d consider taking the job in Detroit. You have no idea how long Coach Pop is going to be coaching for, so you might as well get some head coaching experience and a bigger paycheck for a while. Plus, there’s always the chance he could come back to San Antonio when Pop retires with a few years of head coaching under his belt and the Spurs could be better off for it.
It’s definitely a tough call and it would be tough for the Spurs to lose Coach Bud, but people have to do what’s in their best interest sometimes. So it’s all up to him.